


I Will Care For You

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Adoption, Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Meet-Cute, Nanny Louis Tomlinson, No Smut, Nurse Harry Styles, Omega Louis, Single Parent Harry, i love that these are official tags lol, mentions of abandoned babies, this sounds awful and it kinda is but it all turns out very good i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 11:44:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13810506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: “Afton, I just don’t know what I’m going to do,” Harry whined. “I’m going to adopt her, but I have no idea how to take care of her when I’m here as much as I am and I can’t really afford to raise a child on fewer hours. My family can only help so much, but I’ve already been relying on them too much this past week.”“Oh, Harry. Just get yourself a nanny.” Afton threw out the suggestion and Harry sat up. How had he not considered that?“How much do you need to pay a nanny? If I cut some expenses, I might be able to handle that, if they lived in. Would they expect more of me, since I’m an unmated alpha? Like, they wouldn’t think I’m some dodgy alpha looking for a nanny to become a bondmate or anything, would they?”“Shut up, Harry,” Afton demanded. If she wasn’t a beta, Harry almost felt like she might have put some alpha timbre into her voice with that line. Either way, he did shut up to listen to her as she continued. “Reach out to Louis. He’s our usual sitter and he’s lovely. He’s come on some hard times, too, so you could probably convince him to work for you for cheap, especially if you’re having him live with you too.”





	I Will Care For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ishiplouis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ishiplouis/gifts).



> ishiplouis! Your prompts were completely amazing and as soon as I read them, this one started coming to life. I hope you like what I did with it and enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it! It definitely came into it's own thing and I kind of infused it with some of my favorite A/B/O tropes, so I hope you don't mind hehe
> 
> Biggest of big thanks to my brainstorming buddy [Emmu](http://londonfoginacup.tumblr.com), my patient beta [Bri](http://briannamarguerite.tumblr.com), and my always snarky and helpful brit pick [KK](http://dinosaursmate.tumblr.com). Without them and so many others, this fic wouldn't exist. Thank you to the mods for running this awesome exchange as well!
> 
> The title comes from Take Care by Drake and Rihanna because I heard it like a week ago and I knew it was perfect for the fic. I do not have any affiliation with 1D and those surrounding them, please don't share this fic with anyone in the band, it is a work of fiction, etc! Thank you for reading!

Harry lived a fairly boring life. He had never been one who looked for excitement or felt the need to mix things up. He had his routine, as much as he could, and he was comfortable with it.

He worked as a nurse in the cardiac centre of the local hospital, which in and of itself caused quite a bit of talk. Alphas weren’t nurses. Alphas were doctors and police officers and firefighters, but they weren’t _nurses._

Harry didn’t care about all that, though. He rather thought the almost hero worship that was the norm when it came to alphas was ridiculous. Why did your secondary gender matter at all? Maybe it was because he was the sole alpha in a family of betas, but Harry didn’t understand why gender, primary or secondary, had anything to do with what people thought your skills were.

Because of that viewpoint as well as his position as nurse, Harry was seen as something of a liberal. He wasn’t sure he liked that title, as fond as he was of his comfortable routine, but if that’s what he was for simply thinking everyone was equal, then he supposed that’s what he was.

Harry waved at the betas who had taken over his shift as he left the hospital, excited for his yoga class that night. He felt like he was finally making some progress with hatha yoga, and that newfound feeling of centered strength was doing wonders for how he was able to get over rough shifts at work. Sometimes he needed reminding that work wasn’t his entire life, and his midnight yoga class helped him with that.

Harry had just thrown his bag in the backseat when he heard what sounded like a baby’s cry. It was dark and the area was deserted, as it usually was. He had to have been hearing something else and imagined it to be a baby.

Harry closed the door and went to open the driver’s door when he heard the cry again. It was definitely a baby. He locked the car and walked in the direction he thought the sound had come from. Could someone have truly been neglectful enough to leave a baby in a locked car in a deserted car park?

The baby began to wail, and Harry’s steps hurried as he went towards it. He had just cleared the vehicles and found, sitting in the middle of the pavement beside the hospital, a carrier with a baby in it.

“Oh, darling,” Harry cooed as he rushed towards it. He immediately reached in and found the baby’s hand, but it was cold as ice. “Shhh, it’s okay. I’ve got you. Let’s see if we can find your mummy or daddy, yeah?”

The area was always deserted this time of night, but Harry scanned the scanned it anyway. The baby couldn’t be more than just a few days old. Where were its parents? The heavy feeling in his stomach told him that, deep down, he knew it was likely to be fruitless, but he had to do his due diligence before taking the child inside and figuring out as much as he could there.

“Hello?” Harry called. “Hello, is anyone there?”

Silence was the only answer, outside of the baby crying.

“It’s okay, darling. Let’s get you inside where it’s warm, okay? We’ll get you taken care of, love.”

Harry picked up the carrier and headed back to the hospital entrance. He waved at the guards, but instead of heading towards his usual heart wing, he went to the neonatal unit. As he got off the lift, the baby still crying, Harry knew he’d have to get the baby out of the carrier soon. Who knew when the last time the nappy had been changed or the child had been fed. There were so many concerns, he didn’t know where to start. Hopefully he could find someone to help him.

“Pezza, thank goodness.” Harry felt some of the weight lift from him when he saw his friend chatting with a colleague. She and Harry had met during orientation and bonded as two of the only alphas that would be on the nursing staff at this particular hospital. She was feisty and and loving and Harry knew she would do her best to help him figure out the situation.

“Harry!” Perrie said before she turned around and paused. “Darling, since when did you have a baby?”

Harry rolled his eyes as he set the carrier down and gently lifted the baby out of the carrier. He could tell the nappy was well soaked through and in need of a change, but first things first.

“Pez, this baby was just sitting on the pavement next to the car park. There wasn’t anyone nearby, and I have no idea how long it was there. Do you think…” Harry left off, not wanting to voice his concern.

The fact was, the number of abandoned omega babies across the country had risen of late, thanks to new legislation that specified that omegas could only work outside the home in certain fields, such as child care and teaching. Omegas had never truly been wanted, but as more and more laws were passed regarding how omegas could live and be raised, fewer people wanted them. It broke Harry’s heart hearing about them, but he’d never seen it with his own eyes. Knowing the reality of the situation, though, he couldn’t discount the idea that this tiny, precious child could be another one.

Perrie’s eyes grew wide and concerned before she rushed towards Harry. “Let me see the little one,” she demanded as she gently pried the child from Harry’s grasp.

He had no idea what to do with a baby, but he already felt like he needed to protect this one. He didn’t want to let it go, even if it was just to Perrie.

“Come on, darling. Let’s take a look at you.” Perrie began to walk down the hall before turning to look over her shoulder. “Come on, Harry. Let’s see what we can do for this little dear.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

“Louis, thank you for coming in.”

Louis sat down nervously in the seat across from his boss’ desk. Carmella was lovely, but she had the pinched look to her face she always got when it was bad news.

“I’m afraid that we have to let you go.”

Louis’ heart fell to his stomach. Or, it felt that way anyway. He knew it was right where it should be, pumping harder than it usually would and likely emitting his fear so his boss could smell it on him. Fucking pheromones.

Louis blinked and cleared his throat a little before saying, “I’m sorry? Did I do something wrong?”

Carmella shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. “No, love. You didn’t do anything. It’s just, it’s business, you know?”

Louis clenched his jaw. “Mr Davies complained again, didn’t he?”

Mr Davies was an alpha who, as soon as he’d learned that Louis was a male omega, had been on the warpath and doing everything he could to ensure Louis would have nothing to do with raising his alpha child. It was like he thought Louis’ supposedly inherent weakness would rub off on the kid.

“It’s not just the Davies anymore, Louis.”

Louis’ eyes snapped up to meet Carmella’s when she said that.

“There’s more?”

Carmella pursed her lips. “Ever since the Prime Minister’s speech a few months ago…”

She didn’t need to finish her thought. Louis knew exactly what she was going to say. Omegas had never had an easy time of it, but male omegas were particularly viewed as worthless. People alternated between claiming omegas would lure their alpha spouses into infidelity and claiming they were so weak and stupid they weren’t worthy of being in the workforce at all. Louis wished they would just choose one. Was he weak and stupid or was he so powerful he could make their spouses come after him with just a look? It was all absurd and he was constantly frustrated with it, but mostly he was tired of how it affected his everyday life.

“I get it. Is this effective immediately?”

Carmella nodded, pity in her eyes.

“Right.” Louis stood up and took a deep breath, trying to calm his fear, anger, and sadness. He offered her a weak smile and said, “Well, I’ll be off, then.”

“Louis, I am sorry. I just can’t afford to lose the customers.”

Louis nodded and didn’t say anything more as he left the office. He couldn’t afford to focus on her apologies when he needed to find a way to pay his bills. It looked like he might be needing to move out of his flat in the coming few weeks. His mum might let him go back to their house for the time being, but that wasn’t a guarantee. She had enough on her plate.

Luckily, Louis had enough saved up that he could pay for the next few weeks, but without his flatmate, who had recently bonded, he wouldn’t be able to for long. He would have to do what he could with the babysitting he had set up. Maybe he could talk to Lou and James and see if they could reach out to their friends to get him more jobs. Jobs with people who didn’t care about his gender.

A long breath was released and Louis pulled his coat closed, imagining the air he had expelled to be filled with his frustration. It didn’t really help him feel better, but it was worth a try. His pheromones were all over the place, thanks to his emotional unrest, and that was always dangerous for omegas in this kind of political climate. Thanks to that, Louis knew he couldn’t risk the tube today. He shook his head at the shitty world he lived in and began his hike home. Maybe once he was there, he could do some maths and figure some things out to be able to make his money stretch until he could find another job.

 

*~~***~~*

 

“Afton, I just don’t know what I’m going to do,” Harry whined. He was in between patients and, while he typed the updates into the hospital’s system, he complained to his colleague and friend. “It’s not like I have a partner at home who could help take care of her. Plus, the agencies in the area won’t take her, because she’s an omega and they can’t find homes for those. All the children’s shelters are full, blah blah blah.” Harry leaned his head on the desk. “I’m going to adopt her, but I have no idea how to take care of her when I’m here as much as I am and I can’t really afford to raise a child on fewer hours. My family can only help so much, but I’ve already been relying on them too much this past week.”

“Oh, Harry. Just get yourself a nanny.” Afton threw out the suggestion and Harry sat up. How had he not considered that?

“How much do you need to pay a nanny? If I cut some expenses, I might be able to handle that, if they lived in. Think a nanny would live in? Would they expect more of me, since I’m an unmated alpha? Like, they wouldn’t think I’m some dodgy alpha looking for a nanny to become a bondmate or anything, would they?” Harry began to spit out more and more questions as he thought of them until Afton finally dropped a pile of patient’s charts beside him.

“Shut up, Harry,” Afton demanded. If she wasn’t a beta, Harry almost felt like she might have put some alpha timbre into her voice with that line. Either way, he did shut up to listen to her as she continued. “Reach out to Louis. He’s our usual sitter and he’s lovely. He’s come on some hard times, too, so you could probably convince him to work for you for cheap, especially if you’re letting him live with you too.”

“Louis?” Harry said, softly. His heart began to race a little. He’d just assumed, like an idiot, it would be a woman. He didn’t have any qualms living with an unmated female omega because he wasn’t really interested in women. But an unmated male...that did make him nervous.

“Yes. Louis. I’ll send you his contact information tonight so you can reach out to him asap. Both of you need help, and I think you’d be good for each other.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis carefully shut his laptop, praying he wasn’t putting too much strain on the already broken joint. He couldn’t afford for the screen to completely break off from the keyboard, and it got closer to doing so every day.

Sighing, Louis looked around his small flat. It had done the job while he had a flatmate to share the expenses, but ever since Niall had bonded with his alpha, Louis had been struggling. Now that he was out of steady work, his savings were going to run out all too quickly. He had just emailed his landlord and was set to move out in two weeks. Where he would move to, he wasn’t sure, but he hoped he could figure something out.

Louis stood up and walked over to start packing. Might as well get started while he had energy. Plus he was babysitting Lux that night and he wouldn’t be able to later.

A few hours later, Louis was sweating because he always forgot how much work it was to box up his books. He didn’t have many belongings, couldn’t afford much no matter his salary or flatmate situation, but books he could _always_ afford. He wiped his brow and pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time when it started ringing. It was an unknown number, but Louis had submitted some applications recently, so he stood up straight, prepared his professional voice, and swiped his finger across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Oh, uh, hi. Is this Louis Tomlinson?”

Louis blinked in confusion. It certainly didn’t sound like someone in human resources calling about a job.

“Yes it is. May I ask who’s calling?”

“Of course! Sorry, ehm, I’m Harry. Styles. I work with Afton Smith?”

Louis’ shoulders relaxed a little and he smiled. Afton was lovely and always sent him referrals. He should give her some sort of discounted rate next time she booked him. Well. Next time she booked him and he could afford to charge a lower rate, anyway.

“Hello, Harry,” Louis said, excited about another possible opportunity to bring in some money. He hoped his chipper and relaxed voice would help calm the obviously nervous beta on the line. Louis assumed it was a beta, because most alphas wouldn’t allow their omegas to call a potential babysitter and alphas would rather die than show weakness. “How can I help you?”

“Well, see, I’ve got a newborn at home and I’ve found myself suddenly in need of a nanny for my newborn. You came highly recommended by Afton, and I was hoping you might possibly be interested in the position?”

Louis’ heart began to race in excitement. A nannying gig would be amazing. It would mean regular money and a higher chance of being able to find a place he could actually afford instead of having to leech off of a friend or end up in an omega house.

“I would love to hear more details about the position, yes,” Louis said, hoping he was sounding interested but not overly eager. He needed this, but didn’t want the beta to think he could just walk all over Louis simply because he was an omega in need of work.

A sigh was heard over the line before the beta said, “Oh my God, I’m so relieved you’ll even give me a chance. Thank you. I had no idea where to go if you flat out said no.”

Louis couldn’t help chuckling. Before he could respond, Harry continued.

“When might you be able to get together and go over some of the details of the situation? Maybe you could come to my place and meet Amelia? I’m off tomorrow, if you’re available at some time then?”

Louis raised his eyebrows. That’s quick, but he wouldn’t complain. “Tomorrow would work. I have to babysit in the afternoon, but I could come over in the morning?”

“Yes,” Harry said quickly, before clearing his throat. “Uh, yes. That works for us. I can text you my address, then?”

They wrapped up the conversation and Louis looked around his flat. He felt relief flow through him, but he knew the job wasn’t a sure bet. He would know more in the morning, and he couldn’t help but hope it would end up being the solution he’d been searching for.

 

*~~***~~*

 

As soon as the door to Harry’s flat opened, Louis knew he’d been mistaken about several things.

First, Harry was not a beta, he was definitely an alpha. Louis shouldn’t have assumed that just because Harry was nervous on the phone that he was a beta, but his mind had just jumped to that conclusion and now he was second guessing everything else he thought he knew. What if Harry was one of those who thought they could get anything out of Louis just because Louis was an omega? What if he tried to use his alpha voice on Louis to sign a contract Louis didn’t want to actually agree to today?

Second, Harry wasn’t bonded. Louis had assumed that Harry had a partner of some kind considering he had a child, but obviously that was not the case. Louis could feel his own pheromones reacting to Harry’s strong and delicious scent. He would have to definitely be sure he was regularly taking his suppressants if he wanted to be able to function at all in Harry’s company. It usually wasn’t an issue, but there was something about Harry’s scent that was calling to every part of Louis’ inner omega and he was having a hard time keeping himself standing on the doorstep instead of crowding into Harry’s space. Then again, depending on the kind of alpha Harry was, maybe he’d done that on purpose so Louis would be more willing to sign a contract that wasn’t in his favour.

Third, Harry was beautiful. Louis hadn’t really considered what Harry might look like, because going into it he’d believed he was a beta in a relationship, but now that he’d seen him he couldn’t imagine Harry’s deep, wandering voice belonging to anyone other than the dimpled beauty standing in front of him. The fucker probably used that to his advantage.

“Louis, yeah? Thank you so much for coming.”

Louis blinked and took another deep breath in, mistake though that was because now his head was swimming in Harry’s pheromones. “Yes, I’m Louis. Nice to meet you.”

Harry held his hand out and shook Louis’ hand firmly before waving Louis inside. Louis had started to get nervous, but just as Harry shut the door, Louis heard a baby cry.

“Oh my God, you weren’t exaggerating,” Louis said as he automatically rushed towards the sound. “She really is a newborn, isn’t she?”

Newborns always sounded different from older babies, and Louis loved them. There was something special about holding and caring for a newborn who was completely and totally reliant on others. As he turned into the living room, he saw a tiny swaddled thing with a tuft of red hair bouncing in a seat.

“Oh, hello there!” Louis said excitedly. The cries calmed down as soon as she heard Louis’ voice, but then grew louder, panicked probably because Louis definitely wasn’t her dad.

“Sorry about that,” Harry apologised as he rushed in to pick her up gently from the bouncer. “She has very quickly come to prefer me to pretty much anyone else, haven’t you, darling?”

Louis watched as everything about Harry became that much softer. It was amazing the effect children had on their parents. Even the most traditional alpha would be hard pressed not to soften at least slightly for their newborn.

“I love how babies so easily recognise their parents,” Louis said softly, watching Amelia snuffle as she tried to burrow further into Harry’s neck.

Harry shuffled, looking a bit uncomfortable for a moment. “Yes, about that. Maybe I should explain exactly what kind of situation you’ll be dealing with here. Then, if you’re still okay working with us, we can go into more details of what I was hoping the job would entail for you.”

Louis could smell Harry’s nerves, and that made Louis a bit jittery himself. A nervous alpha was never a good thing, in his experience.

“Okay,” Louis agreed.

Harry nodded towards the sofa, so Louis perched on the edge of a cushion as Harry sat down in, what looked to be, a brand new rocking chair and began to move soothingly back and forth, keeping Amelia happy.

“So, uhm, long story short, Amelia isn’t my biological daughter. She was abandoned and because she’s an omega, the adoption services don’t have room for her, so I’m waiting for our court date to arrive so I can officially adopt her myself.”

Louis’ eyes widened. “They’re allowing you, an unmated alpha, to care for a newborn omega on your own? When you haven’t got official guardianship in any way?”

Harry’s face hardened a bit and Louis feared he had gone too far, but when Harry spoke again, it was obvious he was angry with the system and not with Louis.

“They don’t care about her for the same reason we have those ridiculous laws about omegas in the workplace and restrictions on omega rights in general.” Harry’s nose flared. “You should have heard them when I called to learn what steps I needed to go through to adopt her. They kept asking why, as if she’s not a baby in need of love and affection. Her secondary gender makes her worthless in their eyes, and that makes it even more important for me to officially be her father. I will not allow her to be raised thinking that she’s anything less than I am simply because she was born an omega.”

Louis sat, frozen. He’d never heard an alpha speak like that about omegas before. It was empowering in a way he’d not anticipated, and it wasn’t even specifically about him.

“Anyway,” Harry said, after a soft apology to Amelia and a kiss to her head. “Because I don’t have a partner and was in no way planning on children at this point in my life, I need a nanny. Are you interested in taking us on, even though we have quite a mess to wade through still with the adoption?”

Louis found himself nodding before he shook his head with a small smile. “Before I agree completely, though, I would like to know more about the position itself and, ehm, payment?”

Harry grimaced again. “I’ll be upfront with you, Louis. I won’t be able to pay you much. I don’t do poorly for myself, but the legal fees for the adoption are more than I was anticipating and extra mouths to feed, all that. I was hoping, though, because my hours at the hospital can be long and irregular, as you might know from working with Afton, that some of your compensation might be that you live here with us?”

After all of the surprises that had been thrust upon Louis so far, he felt like he should probably be used to it by now, but Harry just kept pulling the rug out from under him once he’d got his footing back.

An unmated alpha and omega, not in a relationship, living under the same roof in order to care for a child, that officially belonged to neither of them? There were stranger circumstances out there, Louis was sure, but he didn’t know what they were.

Likely sensing Louis’ hesitation, Harry began rambling on more. “I swear I won’t take advantage of you, and your time will be yours outside of when I need you to watch Amelia. There might be doctors appointments and things during your time caring for her, but otherwise it will be simply making sure she has all her needs taken care of. I have somewhat regular shifts that do change every month, so you can plan your own schedule around those. I live a pretty routine life and will do my best to not upend your own life.” Harry finally stopped talking and gave a weak smile. “I can’t keep asking my mum and sister to help out. They’ve got lives and jobs of their own, but where else is Amelia to go if I don’t keep her?”

Louis’ heart hurt by the end of Harry’s speech. Louis had known from the moment he saw the tuft of red hair on top of Amelia’s head that he would say yes. It probably wasn’t the smartest move, and heaven only knew what would happen with them all living together like the happy family they definitely were _not,_ but he knew he had to do what he could to help.

“When do you need me to start?”

For the first time since Louis had walked into the flat, Harry was silent. Louis looked up from Amelia’s snoring form and saw Harry, face slack with obvious surprise. And here Louis had initially anticipated Harry possibly trying to use his alpha voice or a pretty smile to win Louis over. Once again, he’d jumped to the wrong conclusions. Harry certainly seemed to be someone who would keep Louis on his toes.

“Harry?”

“Yeah,” Harry said breathlessly before swallowing and reaching up to wipe away a tear. “Sorry. I just really hadn’t believed you would actually say yes to this whole mess that is my life currently.”

Louis smiled before reaching out and gently lifting Amelia from Harry’s chest. “You haven’t been getting much sleep lately, I’d imagine?”

Harry continued wiping his tears, even as he laughed a bit. “Definitely not.”

“Let me snuggle the little lady,” Louis said with a soft nod. “You go take a nap. I’m alright to stay here until one. Then I need to head out to another babysitting job.”

A smile on his face and amazement in his eyes, Harry stood up. He was mid stretch as he was starting to head out of the room before he stopped and turned back to Louis. “We haven’t talked about the details of payment and contracts and things.”

Louis waved Harry out. “We can talk about that tonight. For now, go rest. When you’ve got a more level head on we can figure out the rest.”

Harry nodded and slowly dragged himself out of the room. Louis looked down at the baby, still sleeping restfully in Louis’ arms.

“Well, dear Amelia,” he whispered as he made himself comfortable on the sofa. “I think we’re going to be good friends, you and me.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry might have wrapped Afton in the biggest hug he possibly could when he finally worked another shift with her a week after first meeting Louis. Okay, he definitely did. He also might have held on a little too long, because she started having to push him away calling him an “alpha brute” teasingly.

“God, what was that for?” she asked, laughing.

“Louis is amazing. He’s perfect! How did you ever find him?”

Afton gave him a smirk before saying, “Us parents have our connections. When we find a good one, we have to make sure we spread the news and help each other out.” Afton looked at Harry a little more before saying, “You look far more well rested and like yourself than you have in weeks. How exactly is Louis helping you out, hmm?”

Harry blushed but smacked lightly at Afton’s shoulder. “Shut up. It’s nothing like that. But he actually pushed me out of the house last night to go to yoga. Can you believe that?” Harry stretched. He hadn’t felt so well centered since he’d brought Amelia home. It was amazing what a little time to himself and sleep could do for making him feel human again.

“I’m glad it’s working out, Harry.”

The rest of the shift was back to back patients, so Harry didn’t get a chance to talk with Afton anymore. Harry hurried out of the hospital as soon as he was able to, knowing Louis was meant to see some friends that night and not wanting to hold him up. It was the least Harry could do with as much as Louis had changed everything for him and Amelia.

Harry opened the door to their flat and smelled something amazing baking. He also heard Louis talking to Amelia in his room.

“I was thinking the blue shirt, myself. Why, don’t you think so? The red? Okay fine. The red it is.”

Harry smiled at the thought that Amelia was helping Louis choose his outfit. The kitchen was completely clean and tidied up, despite the fact the brownies that smelled incredible still had five minutes left to bake.

“Harry? Did I hear you come in?” Louis called.

Harry allowed himself to wander further into the flat before saying, “Yes, it’s me.”

He got to Louis’ room just in time to see Louis pulling a red shirt on, but not before Harry got a quick glance at his belly. There was a soft bit on Louis’ lower belly that sometimes could be seen through his shirts. It was tiny, but Harry had grown fond of it, and being able to see it without that layer of fabric hiding it from view had Harry wanting to nip at it a little. That reaction was completely inappropriate for about fifteen reasons, though, so Harry tried to switch his focus to Louis’ bright squinty smile and Amelia kicking about. She was on her back on Louis’ bed, looking for all the world like she had never been happier.

“You got home quickly.” Louis picked up Amelia and said, “Didn’t he? We thought we’d have a little more one-on-one time before daddy got home, right Lia?”

Harry laughed before going to his room to strip off his scrubs and change into clean clothes. Once he was in comfortable joggers and a t-shirt, he followed the pair back to the kitchen.

“Her nickname is Lia now, is it?”

“She wasn’t incredibly fond of Amy or Miss Pond. Not a Whovian, apparently. Quite disappointing, if I do say so myself. So today we’re trying Lia.”

Harry hummed and took Amelia back from Louis so he could check on the brownies.

“Thanks for everything you do around here, Louis. Seriously. The flat hasn’t been this clean since...well since before I brought her home. I wish I could pay you more.”

Louis rolled his eyes as he leaned against the bench, arms folded. “Please. I love taking care of little ones. I know that’s very stereotypical omega, but I do. And you’re doing me a huge favour by allowing me to stay here as well, so don’t worry about it. I just hope I’m doing enough.”

The timer went off, and after that Louis was a flurry of activity. He grabbed his jacket and things as well as the hot brownies and, with a kiss on Amelia’s head, he was off.

“No idea when I’ll be back, but it won’t be too late since you have another early morning. Bye!”

With a soft breeze left by the door closing, carrying a whiff of Louis’ personal vanilla and coffee bean pheromones on it, Louis was gone and Harry and Amelia were left to themselves. It was the first time in the week since Louis moved in and began helping them that they weren’t a group of three, and Harry almost wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Louis’ presence had given the flat such a feel of purpose and comfort, as well as many welcome distractions, and when he left it felt far too still. Almost empty.

Harry looked at Amelia who was mouthing at the blanket she was wrapped in.

“Oh, darling. Are you hungry? Let’s get you a bottle.”

Amelia, of course, proved to be exactly what Harry needed to keep himself from thinking of Louis until there was a knock on the door as it opened.

“Hullo! Auntie is here to say hi to the little one!”

Harry rolled his eyes and continued rocking in the chair as he fed Amelia. Gemma would find them soon enough.

“Where’s the new nanny? I was hoping to finally meet him if I stopped by without warning.” Gemma pouted as she came closer and kissed Amelia’s head. “Hello, petal. I’ve missed you, but I had to return to work at some point, hmm?”

“Louis is having a night out with some friends. It’s his first night out since he moved in, so he definitely deserves it. You could have just asked before stopping by, you know.”

Gemma threw herself onto the sofa and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. She sniffed the fabric a bit and then scrunched her nose. “How are you surviving here? Even I can smell the man. He must be disgusting if you’re not popping a knot every time you’re close to him.”

Harry nearly choked on his spit, causing a coughing spell that disturbed Amelia as she fed. “Sorry, love. I’m sorry. Daddy is okay, keep on eating.” Harry switched his gaze back to his sister, who looked rather proud of herself. “That’s horrible, by the way. I _am_ able to control myself, thank you very much. Alphas and omegas aren’t just subject to their natural urges, you know.”

Gemma laughed a little before sitting up. “Oh hush. I know that. He really does smell good, though, doesn’t he?”

Harry blushed a little before turning to look down at his daughter who had nearly finished her bottle by now.

“Ooh, okay. So he _is_ good looking! I’d thought as much, based on what you’d said, but was hoping to see for myself.” Gemma took the burp rag and Amelia from Harry once he stood to take care of Amelia’s bottle. “So tell me more about him, then. How are you two handling living together despite being unmated?”

Harry listened to Gemma as she started patting Amelia’s back gently. “What do you want to know? He’s amazing, Gem. You see how clean the place is and we’ve already fallen into such a great system to make sure we are both able to have time to ourselves and make sure Lia is completely taken care of.”

Harry tried to ignore the part of him that was thinking about how amazing the place smelled with the combination of Louis’ scent and Harry’s own, a sweeter scent of coconut and cream. He loved how the flat felt complete when he walked in and could smell them both mixing together with whatever food Louis had prepared that day. The fact that it had only been a week, and already Harry was feeling like the way they worked together wasn’t so much like a father and a nanny, but partners. Bondmates. He had to ignore these points in order to keep himself grounded and remember that this was Louis’ job. Harry was his employer and that...well. That was a recipe for disaster and not okay.

“Lia?” Gemma asked just as Harry heard his daughter let out a loud belch. “Oh, good one, darling. I guess that’s confirmation enough on the nickname, hm?”

Harry chuckled and set the bottle on the little tree stand to dry as he walked back to the rocking chair and sat down again. “Yeah. I came home today and Louis had started using it. It feels more natural than the others at this point, so Lia.”

Gemma took a moment to study Harry. She opened her mouth to say something just as they heard the lock working on the door and it opened once more.

“Haz? You still home? God, my friends are the worst. The first time all of us were going to be able to get together in months and they cancel on me right as I’m getting to the bus stop!”

Harry’s head snapped to Gemma, whose smile had turned smug and mischievous. “Yeah, we’re in the living room.”

Harry could hear Louis putting the brownies down in the kitchen, and he couldn’t help smiling as Louis continued to babble as he always did. Omegas were often described as quiet and submissive, but Louis was anything but. Harry was glad for it.

“Okay. So anyway. Interested in another Netflix binge night? I promise I’ll let you get to bed in time so you don’t miss your alarm in the morning like you did…” Louis trailed off when he finally made it to the living room, shirt askew from taking off his coat. He pasted on a smile before saying, “Hi, sorry for chatting your ears off. I’m Louis.”

Gemma gave a little wave before continuing to rub Amelia’s back. “Hey, Louis. I’m Gemma.”

Louis’ eyes brightened in recognition and he seemed to relax a little more. “Oh! Harry’s sister, right? I’ve heard loads about you.”

Harry immediately started shaking his head. “No. Nope. I can already tell this is going to be dangerous, so nope! Thanks for stopping by Gems, but-”

“Shut up and let us talk, Harry,” Gemma commanded.

Harry rolled his eyes. He’d always joked that she should have been the alpha, not him, for all she loved directing people about.

“Louis, come sit right by me. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Louis walked over and sat beside her on the sofa before leaning over and giving Amelia a kiss before whispering, “Hey, Lia love. I’m back already. Couldn’t take being away for longer than a few moments, just as I said earlier.”

Harry didn’t even catch what was said between his sister and Louis for the next few moments. He was too focused on the way his heart seemed to skip a beat and the way the smile on his face grew even larger than it already had been. Shit. Harry was in so much trouble.

“Look at him, he’s not even paying attention to us.”

Harry refocused on the trio, obviously enjoying each other on the sofa.

“What now?” he asked, worried about what he’d missed while he’d been daydreaming.

Louis rolled his eyes, but Harry could sense it was done in fondness. “Does he always do that? I swear, he’s either hyper-focused on everything or he’s in a completely different world and nothing can get his attention.”

Harry glared at Gemma, but smirked as Louis spoke again.

“He only gets like that in certain circumstances, I’ve found. It must just be everything to do with Amelia.”

The fear that Gemma would spill his secret released his heart from the clenched hold it had before. Harry hadn’t even realised, but he couldn’t afford her to blurt something about Harry and how he got when he had a crush. He was an adult. A grown man with a nursing job who could definitely control himself, even if Harry’s alpha was calling out to cuddle Louis every chance he had. So far he’d been able to keep from doing so and risking everything, but he wasn’t sure he’d be able to forever. The longer he could keep the secret about his attraction from Louis, though, the better.

“See? There he goes again and barely any time has passed! I must be incredibly boring.”

“No,” Harry said, rushing to make sure Louis didn’t actually believe that. “You’re anything but boring. Today was just a long day.”

Louis looked at Harry with understanding. “You must be exhausted and you have to start all over again tomorrow. Want me to heat up the leftover curry from last night? I know you haven’t eaten yet.”

Without even waiting for Harry to respond, Louis got up and squeezed Harry’s shoulder on his way around the coffee table.

“I swear. How did you take care of yourself before I got here?” Louis’ voice was teasing, but honestly. Harry wasn’t even sure.

“You need to take good care of this one, Harry. He’s perfect for you,” Gemma whispered. She handed Amelia, who was now dozing, back to Harry before kissing both of them on top of their heads. “I must be off. Thanks for letting me drop in, little brother!”

Harry heard a snort from the kitchen.

“I bet you love saying that to remind him of his place,” Louis called. They’d known each other for such a short amount of time, and already Louis knew Gemma that well. Harry should have been more amazed, but it made sense. The two really were quite similar.

Gemma and Louis said their goodbyes and Harry went to put Amelia in her moses basket. By the time he came back to the living room, Louis had set two plates of reheated curry and a beer for each of them on the coffee table. Harry’s heart felt warm. Having Louis around made Harry feel like he was cared for in a way he didn’t remember ever experiencing. He was getting well spoilt and, at this rate, would never find a mate better suited to him than Louis.

“Come on. Let’s relax and watch something like _Friends_ that doesn’t require much attention and then we can get you to bed early,” Louis said as he guided Harry to the sofa. Louis curled up beside him, grabbing the clicker and turning on a random episode before Harry could agree or disagree. Not that Harry minded. Louis had an intuition about what Harry needed that he didn’t think was possible unless they were mated.

Harry smiled and said a quiet, “Thank you,” and allowed himself to relax into the evening he hadn’t expected, but was grateful had come about all the same.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis laid a snoring Amelia down on a plush blanket and snuck into the bathroom. She usually slept for a few hours after her lunch, so Louis used that time to shower and get the house cleaned up a bit after their morning adventures. He couldn’t believe he had been there for a month already. The time seemed to fly by in an ever-changing panorama of nappies, bottles, and Harry.

The water began to steam, and Louis could still smell a little of Harry’s scent from his shower a few hours ago. He had a later schedule this month that had him going into work closer to lunch, and Louis was enjoying having some time with him in the mornings. Harry was definitely a morning person and he brought a sort of calm energy to the flat that Louis definitely needed to help him get going.

Stepping under the warm spray, Louis let the water pound on his back as he considered the upcoming court date. Louis couldn’t believe that it was coming so soon. In only a few short days, Harry would, hopefully, be Amelia’s father according to all official records. Louis couldn’t wait. He knew the worry that it wouldn’t go through was weighing on Harry. Louis was doing the best he could to help, so Harry had as little to concern himself with while he was home as possible, but Louis knew both of them would feel better once it was done.

Louis leaned down for his shampoo and accidentally grabbed Harry’s bodywash. He used a special blend that was supposed to help suppress his alpha scent at work, probably to keep the attitude about an alpha nurse to a minimum, but Louis could clearly smell Harry even when he used it. There was no way the tea tree oils and lemon would ever be able to cover up his natural scent. The lingering coconut had a way of clinging to everything Louis owned, even his items that Harry had never been around.

He’d never admit it, but the nights he had without Amelia in his room were often spent wanking with his nose to one of Harry’s worn nightshirts. The way his scent would completely envelop Louis in those moments made him so wet he could hardly keep himself going slow enough to be prepped for his knotted dildos. He’d never felt as satisfied as he had after those nights, though. Not even after a heat spent with an alpha. Louis knew he was ruined, thanks to this, but he would enjoy it as much as possible while he could.

How bad was it to pine after his boss, anyway? Harry paid Louis for what he did around the flat and caring for Amelia, but he never really _acted_ like Louis’ boss. They truly did care for everything as if they were both Amelia’s dads. Louis knew that was a dangerous way to think, but he couldn’t help it. He had been in love with Amelia from the moment he heard her snoring the first day he met her, and his attachment hadn’t grown any less over the past month. Instead, he’d grown to be just as attached to Harry as he was to her.

Louis groaned a little and hurriedly finished his shower. He didn’t like taking too long in case Amelia woke up and needed something while he couldn’t hear her. He tried to banish all thoughts of Harry from his mind as he considered the various chores he would get done around the house. He needed to deep clean the bathroom, actually. He’d been taking care of basic upkeep, but it definitely needed a good overall scrub.

Plan in place, Louis stepped out, quickly toweled off, and stepped out into the hall with nothing but a towel around his waist only to walk right into Harry.

“Oh shit,” Louis said in surprise, grabbing for his towel to make sure the knot held and kept him covered. “Harry? Why are you home?”

“I’m really...uhm…” Harry’s voice sounded off and even his scent didn’t seem quite right. Louis held his hand to Harry’s forehead, and the alpha seemed to lean into his touch. He was burning up. Harry blinked slowly, like it was hard work for him, then said, “I’m ill?”

“Are you contagious?” Louis asked, suddenly worried about Amelia in the other room. “Should I see if I can take Lia to my mum’s or something?”

Harry shook his head slowly, eyes fixated on Louis’ chest. Which was bare. And wet. Right. “Tattoos?”

Louis blushed and wrapped his arm around Harry. He looked like he was barely standing on his own, and Louis didn’t want him to fall on his way to his room. “Yeah. I’ve got more tattoos, love. Come on, let’s get you to your room.”

“Mum’s coming,” Harry said, voice thick. He tried clearing his throat, but he winced as he did so. “T’get Lia. You can have the days off until ‘m better. I’ll still pay.”

Louis shook his head before helping Harry sit on his bed. “Nope. You can’t take care of yourself like this. Your mum can get Lia, but I’m going to make sure you’re okay, Mr Nurse. I know your kind. My mum is a midwife and one of the worst patients when she’s ill. I’m sure you wouldn’t do everything you need to without me here.”

Louis was expecting a fight, but Harry just collapsed onto his side, lifting his legs onto the bed, shoes still on and everything. “‘Kay,” he mumbled, seemingly half asleep already.

“Come on, love. Let’s at least get you more comfortable.”

“You’re wearing a towel,” Harry mumbled.

“Yes, I am,” Louis confirmed, his cheeks pink. He really should get dressed, but he wanted to make sure Harry was comfortable and taken care of before he left the room. “Come on. Flip to your back for me so we can get you out of these ugly shoes.”

“Heyyy,” Harry drawled out before coughing. “God, my head hurts.”

“I’m sure. Did you take anything at the hospital before you left?”

Harry shook his head before groaning and pressing his palms to his head. “I need to not move ever again.”

Louis finished taking off Harry’s shoes and socks before standing closer to his head so he wouldn’t have to lean to look at Louis. “Other than water and a paracetamol, is there anything I can get for you?”

Harry studied Louis’ face before lifting up a hand and brushing Louis’ wet fringe off his face. “No. But you better get dressed. Or mum’ll think things.”

Louis rolled his eyes as he felt Harry’s hand drop back to the bed. Louis’ skin tingled where Harry had brushed his forehead, but he ignored that fact for the moment.

“She would not,” Louis said with a laugh as he left Harry’s room. “You’re so ill I bet you couldn’t even get hard right now, much less be able to fuck me in the shower.”

Harry mumbled something, but Louis was far enough away he couldn’t hear him clearly. Louis tiptoed around Amelia, who was still sleeping soundly on the floor of his room, before pulling on the first clean pair of joggers he could find. Apparently laundry needed to be done, so he pulled on Harry’s shirt that was still on Louis’ bed. It was big enough that it obviously wasn’t Louis’, but he wasn’t going to walk around topless the first time he met Harry’s mum.

Louis grabbed a glass of water and a paracetamol before sitting beside Harry on his bed and helping him sit up. “Here you go. Drink the whole glass, yeah?”

“I know, Lou. ‘M a nurse, yeah?” Harry almost was able to sound petulant, but was just sick enough to not be able to fully commit.

“Sure thing. Just drink up so I can pack Amelia’s bag for while she’s at your mum’s.”

“She’ll mostly need nappies. She should have enough clothes at her house to last her otherwise.”

Louis petted Harry’s hair back as he drank. Once he was done, Louis asked, “What about bottles and formula?”

“Oh, yeah. That too. Thanks, Lou.”

Louis had just helped him lay back down when Harry whispered what sounded like, “You’re pretty.” Louis looked at Harry, who was already asleep. It had probably been something else  Harry had said as he fell asleep. Maybe. But Louis also clung to the hope that maybe Harry thought he was pretty too.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry felt disgusting. Disgusting and weak and his head pounded like crazy and he wanted nothing more than to eat an entire pack of crackers and chicken broth, but he wasn’t sure he had the energy to do so.

“Oh, hey. You’re awake,” Louis said quietly as he walked into the room. He was wearing Harry’s shirt. How long had he been wearing Harry’s shirt?

“Look good in my clothes,” came out of Harry’s mouth before he could stop it, and he closed his eyes before he could see Louis’ reaction. He heard Louis chuckle a bit and, as much as Harry liked the sound, he was glad it was quiet, because even the soft way it bubbled out of Louis was enough to make Harry’s head hurt worse.

“Yeah, sorry. Didn’t realise I was so low on laundry. Got a load in the wash now.”

“Don’t mind. How long was I asleep?” Harry asked before forcing himself up so he could take the glass of water Louis was offering him.

Louis blushed and Harry found that interesting. “A few hours. I wanted to get another round of meds in you since your fever hasn’t broken yet. Your mum might...uhm. I didn’t really think about her seeing me in your shirt.”

Harry furrowed his brows and winced as he swallowed the pill. He had no idea what had taken him down so fast, but whatever it was he felt like hell on wheels.

“I don’t get it,” Harry admitted. Louis was shifting nervously and if Harry’s nose wasn’t completely congested, he was sure he could smell it on him as well. It didn’t mean he understood what Louis was implying, his mind as foggy as it was.

“I’m wearing your shirt while living with you and helping care for Amelia. I think she was making assumptions as to our relationship status, no matter what you’ve told her.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Oh,” he said slowly.

“Yeah,” Louis agreed, nodding as he rocked back onto his heels. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Harry shrugged before laying back down a bit. “It’s okay.”

There were honestly worse things she could be thinking at this point. Harry almost wished they were together right now, though. A good cuddle always helped him sleep better when he was ill. The last time he’d been this sick he was dating a boy back in uni and having his boyfriend’s scent surrounding him helped him through the worst in a way that medications never really did.

“Are you feeling up for eating anything?” Louis asked as he took the glass from Harry’s hand.

“No. I just…” Harry stopped himself from asking for the cuddle. He really wanted it and had a feeling it would help him feel better, but he couldn’t put Louis at risk for getting ill like that. This wasn’t what he’d signed up for when he said he would care for Amelia.

Louis waited in silence for a minute before helping Harry get the duvet situated well. “You what?”

“Nothing,” Harry said, rolling onto his side and trying to get comfortable. Harry felt the bed dip as Louis sat beside him and started rubbing his arm. God, just that contact was soothing him in ways he’d been craving ever since he first felt chilled at the hospital. “Just always want a cuddle when I’m not feeling well.”

Louis pulled his hand back and stood up from the bed, making Harry immediately regret admitting what he had. He should have kept quiet and been happy with whatever Louis was offering, but then the duvet lifted in front of Harry. He opened his eyes and watched as Louis climbed in beneath the covers and layed down.

“Come on, now. Would you rather snuggle up to me, or be the little spoon?”

Harry scooted himself forward and immediately tucked himself beneath Louis’ arm. He needed to smell him, know he was near in addition to feeling his warmth around him. Harry noted the spicy scent that was added to his usual coffee beans in his armpit, and he was already feeling worlds better.

“Okay, then. There we go.” Louis tightly wrapped his arm around Harry, and within moments, he was back asleep.

The next time Harry woke up, Louis was asleep as well and they were tangled together in a way that had Harry wondering which limbs belonged to him and which belonged to Louis. It was intimate in a way he hadn’t had in years, and he hadn’t realised how much he missed waking up like this until he had the chance to do so again.

With Louis. His employee. Right.

Harry looked towards the small window in his room and saw light shining fairly bright behind the curtains. Who knew how long he and Louis had slept, but it looked like it was the next day already. Harry closed his eyes again and allowed himself to memorise the feel, the _smell,_ of having Louis in his space. This would likely be the last time it happened, and Harry had to remember it as best he could.

Louis snuffled a little as he rolled towards Harry and cuddled into Harry’s chest so their positions were essentially reversed from how they’d been when Harry fell asleep the night before. Harry’s inner alpha preened at the fact that Louis, such a strong omega who could absolutely do whatever he put his mind to, chose to take comfort in Harry’s arms. Well. Maybe he wasn’t actively choosing to do so. He _was_ asleep, after all. But he still had some desire, at least at some level, to be close to Harry. He supposed he would be happy with what he could get.

“Morning,” Louis croaked before clearing his throat.

Harry jumped a bit in surprise. Louis was awake and instead of pulling away, he was cuddling closer. What did that mean?

“Hey, has your fever broke?” Louis asked. Instead of sitting up, like Harry expected, Louis stayed where he was and lifted his hand to gently touch Harry’s forehead. Soon, Harry saw Louis smiling above him. “Hazza, I think you’re past the worst. We just need to nurse you back to full health and you’ll be good as new.”

Louis looked so happy, so bright and pleased, he might as well be shining. At this point, Harry might even think he was the sun.

Harry really needed to finish his recovery, because it seemed like his fever had addled his brain.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry had succumbed into another fever only a few hours after they thought it had broken. It looked like the medicine had done its job the first time, though, so Louis went ahead and replicated what they had done the day before in order to keep it at bay. If Harry’s fever hadn’t broken and stayed down on its own after a couple of days, Louis was going to force the man to go to a clinic.

Luckily, it didn’t get to that point. After about thirty-six hours, Harry’s fever broke and looked like it was staying down. Louis was incredibly relieved, and not just because he was worried about Harry’s health.

Harry had been incredibly clingy as Louis was caring for him and couldn’t sleep unless Louis was cuddling him in bed. Because of that, Louis’ own schedule had been thrown off and he hadn’t been taking as many precautions for his own health as he should have been. Now that it was the afternoon of the third day, Louis was bringing in Harry’s broth with shaky hands.

“Hey, are you okay? You look kind of flushed.” Harry watched Louis with concern, and reached up to feel Louis’ forehead as Louis bent down to set down the full bowl. “Lou, you’re burning up.”

The nickname made butterflies flutter a little in Louis’ stomach. Or maybe that was him feeling a little nauseous. Now that Harry mentioned it, he was feeling hot in addition to a bit shaky and just _off._

“I’m not sure,” Louis said before sitting down on the bed. “I’m not feeling quite right.”

Louis picked up his phone to call his mum to ask about incubation periods for various viruses when he realised it was dead and since he hadn’t charged it. That had happened yesterday as well. Louis only hoped he hadn’t missed any important reminders, but he didn’t think he had. Except…

“Oh God,” Louis whispered as he took stock of his symptoms. Fever. Itchy, uncomfortable feeling. Slight shakiness. A feeling of unrest. Louis had only missed two days of suppressants, which normally wouldn’t be an issue, but the past month Louis had been living with an unmated alpha. That alone was enough to have him falling into an unscheduled heat, but the fact they had been sharing a bed during the days Louis had missed his meds? He was practically demanding his body react to the situation.

“What?” Harry asked, sitting up and reaching for Louis’ shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“Harry, I’m not sick,” Louis said softly.

He turned to Harry, worried how he would take the news. Would he force Louis to leave? To go and shamefully have to book himself a last minute room at an O Centre? If he was already displaying this many symptoms, Louis was far enough into it that he would be in the full grasp of the heat within an hour or so. If Harry was going to force him to do that, he needed to know now.

Louis decided to make it quick and easy by just stating what was happening. “It’s my heat.”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you said your heat wasn’t supposed to come until May? That’s still three months away?”

Louis nodded, and just then a wave of chills followed by rush of heat enveloped him. God, maybe he didn’t even have an hour. He was starting to feel the slick build, and that was bad. Louis let out a whine, not even meaning to.

God, it was like he had zero control of himself. He’d never felt this way when falling into a heat before. What was going on?

“I know, but I missed my suppressants two days in a row. Combine that with living with you and sharing a bed the last couple of nights…” Louis shrugged just as another round of chills rushed over him.

Louis hunched his shoulders and began to rub his arms. The worst part about falling into heat was how fucking uncomfortable it was. He alternated between being ridiculously cold and being overly hot with no warning.

He finally looked up at Harry’s face and found it slack. Louis could see his nostrils flaring, and shit, he could probably smell it on Louis. Not probably, he definitely could. But now that Louis thought about it, Harry smelled different than his usual coconut as well. Something darker, not as sweet.

“I, uhm.” Harry blinked and shifted his position so his hands were in his lap, and it was then that Louis saw what Harry wasn’t able to hide. He was hard.

Louis’ eyes widened. Was he hard just from smelling Louis?

“So, I’m not sure what they taught you in your Omega Health classes since they always kept us separated,” Harry said, his voice sounding rough.

Louis’ inner omega was preening hearing an alpha speak in such close proximity while he was in this state. He’d never spent a heat with an alpha before, he’d never had any desire before now, but _fuck_ did he want to.

Louis tried to focus a little on what Harry was saying. Health classes? Louis snorted. “The ones in sixth form had been a joke. We barely learned about our own gender, outside of how best to serve our alpha. Why?”

Harry cleared his throat before saying, “It doesn’t happen often, just because the specific situations that lead to it aren’t often found, but uh.” Harry paused, his face flaming. He winced a little before finally saying, “If an unmated alpha is around an unmated omega they are close with when the omega falls into heat, it can trigger the alpha’s rut.”

Louis felt himself pulse more slick and he knew Harry could smell it, because he let out a low growl.

“Harry, are you saying that my heat triggered your rut?”

Harry motioned down at his lap before saying, “I know you can smell it on me just like I can on you.”

Louis nodded. “So what does this mean?” he asked.

Harry took a deep breath. “I’m obviously not going to force you into anything, but it sure would seem convenient...I mean, if you wanted to?”

“Convenient,” Louis repeated before blinking and agreeing all too quickly. “Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it only makes sense, right? What our bodies are needing most is each other, right?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Harry said, eyes wide, and something like relief seen in the green depths.

After that, a quick and overly awkward conversation took place discussing their hard lines that would not be crossed (“I refuse to have you call me derogatory names,” for Louis and “Please no watersports. There’s enough fluids involved in this as it is,” for Harry) as well as particular preferences (“I’ve no clue since this is kind of my first time with an alpha,” for Louis and “I like it a little rough,” for Harry), and they were as ready for the next few days as they could be.

The last thing Louis remembered once he had shakily gathered some towels, snacks, and water for them was Harry having a quick call explaining to his mum that he needed her to care for Amelia a few more days and that they would be in touch. After that, Louis felt himself slide into the the familiar depths of desire as he sought out the only touch that would help: an alpha’s knot.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry woke up, a little hazy. Louis was plastered to his side, but both of them seemed to have showered recently, since Harry’s hair was still a little damp. That was good, at least, because the bed was a disaster.

Harry gently shifted out from under Louis and hoped the other man would sleep a little longer while Harry got up to wee. He was more thirsty than he could remember ever being, but it was probably because he had been ill directly preceding the rut.

He was just washing his hands when suddenly a thought, clear as day, was heard in his head. _Oh my God, I feel amazing._

“Lou?” Harry called softly enough that it hopefully wouldn’t wake Louis if he was still sleeping, but still loud enough the omega should be able to hear him otherwise.

“Yeah?” Louis responded. His voice was rough and sent chills up Harry’s spine. He loved Louis’ morning voice.

Harry let out a sigh as before he turned off the water and concentrated. Every bit of him focused on it, he clearly thought the words, _Can you hear me?_

He heard a soft, “Shit,” and then a thump coming from his room. He rushed back out of the bathroom and saw Louis fighting with the covers that had him bound and on the floor.

Harry laughed a little and rushed to help him get out before Louis, eyes bright and wide, said, “How the fuck did you do that?”

Smiling even though he was confused, Harry checked the spot right at the juncture of Louis’ neck and shoulder. Just as he knew he would find as soon as he could hear Louis’ first thought, a brand new bond bite shone proud and red on Louis.

Harry swallowed before saying, “Did they not teach you about certain ways of communication that are available between bondmates?”

Louis blinked at Harry, his face otherwise blank, before he said, “Harry. Why are you mentioning bondmates?” There was a hint of hysteria to Louis’ tone before he reached up to where Harry’s bite was. When Louis pressed down on it, Harry felt a rush course through him and knew Louis felt something similar, because he instantly went pale.

“Oh my God. We _bonded?”_ Louis began to breathe heavily, causing Harry to worry about him hyperventilating. He couldn’t have his bondmate dying of shock within minutes of learning of their bond. “Fucking hell, I’m a bonded omega now,” Louis whispered.

Harry leaned forward and tentatively placed his hand on Louis’ shoulder, wanting to infuse him with calm, but the fact was Harry wasn’t feeling anything even remotely close to calm.

He had accidentally bonded Louis. That was exactly the opposite of anything Harry had ever wanted to force on Louis. And, because it was a bond forged during a shared rut and heat, it would be particularly strong and therefore even more difficult to break, should Louis decide that was what he wanted.

Doing his best to push his own fear and concern down in order to soothe his obviously scared omega, Harry continued to give gentle touches, smoothing his hand across Louis’ bare shoulders. It was incredible to see that a soft brush of his fingers across Louis’ shoulders could help him visibly relax a little bit.

Harry watched as Louis gave a shy smile, but his eyes were filled with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry I got you into this mess, Harry. You deserve so much better than this.”

Harry froze. “What do you mean by that? Better than what?”

Tears began to stream down Louis’ cheeks, but he put visible effort into speaking clearly when he said, “Better than being stuck with an accidental bond to some random omega.” With a snort, Louis looked down to his lap, causing his tears to drip off his chin while he spoke again, softer this time. “Better than me.”

Harry shifted so he was kneeling with his knees touching Louis’ legs before he reached out and cradled Louis’ cheeks with his hands. He did his best to gently lift Louis’ face up so he was once again looking at Harry in the eye.

“I don’t think it’s possible to be bonded to a more amazing person, omega or otherwise.”

Louis let out a soft sob before he gave a tentative smile. He pulled back from Harry’s touch, wiping the tears haphazardly off his face. “Uhm. So.” Louis sniffled, and Harry watched fondly as Louis tried to pull himself together and go back to the original discussion. “Bondmates can talk through their thoughts or summat?”

“Oh, yeah.”  But seriously, they didn’t teach you about this stuff in school?”

Louis shook his head and Harry growled a little in frustration. It figured they would teach omegas the bare minimum considering they were practically considered second-class citizens. It was then Harry noticed Louis sitting up straighter with his jaw dropped.

“What?” Harry asked.

“I could…” Louis rubbed his eyes, like he was still trying to wake up. “I could almost feel your growl?”

That was not completely expected, but Harry had heard stranger stories.

“Louis,” Harry grimaced. “We really do need to talk about this. About…” Harry gestured towards Louis’ neck.

Louis touched it gently again, but looked at Harry, wary of what he was going to say.

“I just want you to know that whatever you decide, whether you want to keep the bond or not, it’s okay. It’s not the end of the world. I know you weren’t expecting or wanting this, and there are completely safe ways to break a bond. I’ve heard that it can still be painful and emotionally quite draining, and then I’d have to find someone else to be my nanny for Amelia...and I have court in like...Oh fuck I hope I didn’t miss our court date. But anyway, there are options, Lou. We can work this out. You aren’t stuck with me, unless, like, you want to be.”

Louis blinked and swallowed. “I’d essentially be a kept omega, if I agreed to that.”

Harry blanched. He hadn’t heard those terms outside of Gemma’s favourite seedy romance novels possibly ever. He couldn’t believe Louis would think that of him.

“I know I was paying you for your work before, but I’m sure we could find an arrangement. I’m not going to just, like, control all the finances and dictate your entire life if you choose to stay with me.” Harry tentatively reached out.

Everything inside of him was telling him to pull his omega closer and soothe him. The bond was precarious right now, and it relied on the alpha and omega fostering their physical and emotional relationship with close contact in order to forge the strongest bond possible between them. Harry was worried about doing that, though, because if Louis didn’t want it, strengthening the bond between them would only make it harder to break.

Louis had tears in his eyes again as he studied Harry. Harry finally broke eye contact and pulled his hand back to himself, never quite touching Louis. He wasn’t getting any signs that Louis _didn’t_ want it, but he didn’t want to make a false move and upset the shaky balance they had.

Finally deciding he should go ahead and put it all on the line, because at this point he was possibly going to lose it all anyway, Harry closed his eyes and gathered what courage he could.

“I’d be honoured to be able to call you my mate,” Harry whispered.

Louis choked out a laugh which had Harry’s eyes popping open in surprise. “Are you quoting some rom-com at me right now?”

“Shut up,” Harry said, taking the chance this time to reach out and shove Louis gently. “I’m trying to be romantic. I’ve been halfway in love with you for awhile now, I think.” Harry looked back down at the carpet before saying, “You fit so perfectly with me and Lia and you really do make us both so happy. From the day you got here, I’ve had a hard time imagining what it would be like without you.”

Harry heard a sob, but his concern was instantly relieved. Louis was sitting there, smiling wide, though he was trying to cover it with his hands, as he cried loudly.

What was Harry supposed to do? He was just about to ask if it was okay to hold him when Louis threw himself into Harry’s arms.

Harry caught him and did his best to keep his balance, but he ended up tipping sideways and leaning against the bed for support. He didn’t care, he had Louis in his arms, holding him tightly and smelling like coffee and coconut.

They were both still naked, and so much needed to be figured out, but for now, Harry was happy to hold Louis.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis sat at the table and watched Harry move around the kitchen. He’d heard about this kind of thing before, he’d just never entertained the thought that it was something he could look forward to.

Not that Louis had ever wanted to bond with an alpha before Harry. He’d never felt the desire to be anyone’s property. Deep down, Louis was a romantic, and he’d always held onto hope that he would find an alpha who would treat him in such a way that Louis could feel he was their equal like he’d read in his omega romances growing up, but he hadn’t ever actually thought he would find that.

Of course, now here he was, Harry in the kitchen preparing a meal that he deemed was the right balance of nutritious and delicious to help Louis rebuild his strength after his heat. Louis knew, intellectually, that most alphas did this for their omegas, but since he’d never witnessed it or experienced it himself, he had doubted it was true. So many alphas he met were such knotheads, they _really_ didn’t seem the type to reverse roles for a bit and take care of their omegas. It was nice to know that for Harry, at least, that wasn’t true. And, suddenly, Harry was now Louis’.

 _Can you hear everything I am thinking?_ Louis asked. He was still figuring out what he could and could not hear. Louis wasn’t hearing everything from Harry, for the most part it still felt like he was alone in his head, but he didn’t know if Harry being the alpha meant he could hear more of Louis’ thoughts.

Harry chuckled a little before saying, “No. Only what you specifically verbalise kind of thing? I’m not exactly sure, but if you’re thinking it with purpose then I can definitely hear it.”

Louis sighed. “Does it weaken with distance?”

Harry finished plating up their vegetable omelettes and carried them over to the table. Once he’d sat down he looked at Louis and shrugged. “That seems to be determined by the bondmates. Some can over longer distances than others. Studies have yet to figure out why, at least last I read. I haven’t been keeping up with those recently.” Harry motioned at Louis’ plate before smiling and saying, “Come on. You should eat.”

Louis felt warm and cared for in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had kind of assumed he would possibly find a nice beta he could be happy with and that was the best he had to hope for, but now it was almost as if a part of himself he had never known was missing was found. No that wasn’t it. Louis had always been complete, but it was like Harry had unlocked parts of him he hadn’t known were ever there.

“Lou? If you could do anything, if there weren’t laws restricting omegas, what profession would you choose?”

The fork hovered in front of his mouth as Louis considered the question. “You know, I’ve never been asked that before.”

Harry continued chewing and asked, _Really?_

Louis nodded, remembering he could keep eating and communicate with Harry with his thoughts. It was going to take awhile for him to get used to that.

_Honestly, I still think I’d want to be a teacher._

Harry straightened up. “Did you ever take your A-Levels?”

Louis scoffed. “I was barely allowed to take my GCSEs. There’s no reason for omegas to take A-Levels, Harry. There aren’t any universities that will take us.”

“There are, actually,” Harry said, and when Louis looked up from his omelette at Harry, he saw a smug grin on his face. “New omega universities have been founded over the last five to ten years. They’re small for now, and quite expensive, but they exist. They’re trying to provide better education for omegas to give you better training for your jobs.”

“Yeah, but nothing near here,” Louis said before taking another bit. He’d had such hopes of trying to find one and figuring out a way to make it work for him when he was younger, but there wasn’t anything in the country at the time.

“Yes there are,” Harry said, soft smile on his face. “One of the omega universities just opened in London.”

Louis froze and his eyes went wide. How had he not heard about this? Of course, anything requiring any kind of money had been off the table for Louis for a few years now, but he still thought he would have heard about it. All the same, Louis felt energy zipping through his veins at the possibilities, before it quickly fizzled out. There was no way he’d ever be able to afford something like that.

“Why are you teasing me with this? It’s not like it would actually be possible for me to go.”

Harry reached over and took Louis’ left hand in his, holding on until Louis looked back at him. “If you want to go, it is possible, Lou. We’d just have to figure things out.”

Louis shook his head sadly. Of course Harry didn’t understand. “How in the world would I pay for that? No offense, Harry, but you know exactly how much you’re paying me.” Louis gave a soft smile. “Or, how much you were. We still need to figure that out.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Harry said with a wry grin. Louis felt a soft warmth bloom in his chest when Harry lifted Louis’ hand and gave it a soft kiss. “I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”

Tears pricked at Louis’ eyes, but he blinked them away quickly and gave Harry a soft squeeze of the hand in thanks. Changing the subject in an attempt to not grow more emotional, Louis said, “Yes, well. Let’s focus on Lia first, Haz. The court date is in the morning.”

After that they discussed how the morning would go and expectations, hopes and fears for the outcome, and how they would introduce their new bond to Anne. They decided they had earned a night of Netflix cuddled on the sofa before an early night to bed, but even as Louis fell asleep, he couldn’t stop himself from dreaming of the possibility of teacher training and a new profession. One he had chosen for himself not out of desperation or need, but desire.

 

*~~***~~*

 

Harry jumped out of the car nearly as soon as he had it in park. He didn’t even bother turning it off, Louis would take care of that. The only thing on Harry’s mind was Lia. He wanted to hold her in his arms for the first time in days and celebrate the fact that she was his. Well, his and Louis’.

They had assumed the laws would be more complicated when it came to adoption and legal guardians, but naturally they had overestimated lawmakers. Their case had hardly lasted more than fifteen minutes. Apparently it was rare for anyone to want to officially adopt an omega, so the judge admitted to wanting to make it legally binding as soon as possible so Harry didn’t have a chance to change his mind. When Harry had asked about adding Louis as co-parent, the judge had looked at him like he was insane.

“He’s your omega, is he not? Of course he’s legally the co-parent. You’re his alpha, whatever you sign binds him as well.”

Harry blinked in surprise before looking at Louis and back at the judge. “Would it be an issue if he signed as well? I’m not comfortable with signing on his behalf.”

The barristers shoved the necessary forms at them, they signed where needed, and they were declared Amelia’s legal family.

And now, finally, Harry was going to be able to hold his daughter and know she wouldn’t be snatched away from him.

As Harry barged through his mum’s front door, he heard Amelia crying somewhere near the kitchen.

“Lia, darling, I’m here,” Harry called as walked toward the kitchen, not even bothering to remove his shoes. He turned the corner and saw his mum, no less worse for wear, cradling a crying Amelia while she heated up a bottle.

“It’s nearly lunch, but you can feed her if you’d like,” Anne said, teasing. She knew Harry wouldn’t want to be away from Amelia any longer than he already had been.

“Thanks, Mum,” Harry murmured as he took Amelia into his arms. “There you go, love. See? Daddy’s got you.”

“Ehm, hello?” Louis called out from the hall. _Am I meant to remove my shoes?_

Harry chuckled. “Yes, leave your shoes near the door. We’re in the kitchen.”

“Is that Louis?” Anne asked, handing Harry the bottle and walking towards the front hall. “Hello, love. I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

Harry froze. Of course she wasn’t. She didn’t know they were bonded, yet. In the excitement and stress surrounding the adoption, Harry had forgotten they meant to break the news to her today.

As he turned around and met Louis’ eyes, something strange happened. He could almost feel niggling traces of something in his chest. Almost like fear? Worry? Except it wasn’t his own. He wasn’t scared or worried, per se. A bit nervous about explaining the situation, but that was all. Nothing that explained the feeling he was experiencing in his chest.

“Is that you?” Harry asked. He probably should have asked Louis through their thoughts, but it was too late now.

Louis asked, “Is what me?” at the same time Anne asked, “What’s going on?”

Harry looked between the two of them before he finally said, “Mum, maybe we should go sit down. It’ll be easier to feed Lia and explain everything.”

Louis looked at Harry pointedly before turning to follow Anne. _Are you going to explain to me what you meant or no?_

Harry snorted softly. _Of course I am. I just want to fill her in on everything first._

Once everyone was comfortable and settled, Louis sat beside Harry so he could softly caress Amelia’s soft hair while she ate, Anne arched her brow and Harry knew it was time to talk.

Harry began to worry about how much was too much to tell his mum. They’d never discussed the amount of detail they would go into, and now it was time to explain everything, but Harry didn’t want to cross any boundaries that Louis wasn’t comfortable with. Harry looked at Louis, probably expressing all of his worries with that one look.

Louis rolled his eyes and turned to Anne. “I knew some things would be different when I moved in with Harry, biologically speaking. I’m on suppressants, but since I’m an unmated omega, I wasn’t sure what living with an unmated alpha might do. Everything seemed fine, normal even, until Harry got ill.”

Louis paused, and Harry felt the same strange niggling fear he did earlier. Was he feeling Louis’ emotions? Harry leaned into Louis in an attempt to calm him with more physical touch, and it seemed to work because the omega relaxed into his side and began speaking again.

“I missed a few days due to my schedule being thrown off while Harry was sick. At first we thought I was getting ill with the same virus he had, but it soon became clear that those two days I missed while being in such close proximity to Harry was enough to cause me to drop into an unscheduled heat.”

Harry looked at Anne, and he could tell she knew exactly what that meant by the look of shock on her face as she looked between the two of them.

“Did you bond, then?”

“Mum!” Harry squawked. Amelia fussed a little in his arms until Louis reached over to take her from him. “Sorry, love. But honestly, Mum. You’re just going to ask like that?”

“Yes I am,” she replied sternly. This wasn’t how he’d expected her to react. She looked almost cross. He’d thought she would be happy for him, not be borderline angry. “I’m your mother, Harry. Did you two accidentally bond?”

Harry and Louis looked at each other, and both of them blushing, Harry nodded. “Yeah. He’s my mate, now.”

Anne looked at Louis. “And you’re okay with this?”

Harry watched as Louis’ cheeks flamed even further and suddenly the fear that had been sitting strangely in his chest turned to something lighter and softer. It felt almost like joy.

“Yeah. Harry’s a good man and alpha. I’m very happy to be able to say I’m his.”

Harry wrapped his arm around Louis’ shoulders and pulled him as close as he could without jostling Amelia again. “And I’m yours,” he whispered before placing a kiss on Louis’ hair.

“I knew it!” Anne cried before jumping up and leaving the room quickly.

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You knew what?” he called after her.

“Gemma owes me ten pounds!”

“Oh my God,” Louis said softly with a laugh. He turned his head into Harry’s neck and chills erupted from the spot where Louis was obviously scenting him. “Did you mum and sister bet on us bonding?”

Breath a bit shaky, Harry chuckled. “It seems like it.”

Anne came back into the room, wide smile in place. She walked over to the two boys and wrapped them into a gentle hug, ensuring Amelia remained comfortable.

“Congratulations, boys. I’ll gather your daughter’s things so you can go home and celebrate being a brand new family.”

Louis leaned into Harry as Amelia continued to make progress on her bottle. At the rate she was going, they would have to up the amount of formula she got every meal.

“What were you talking about earlier when you asked if it was me?” Louis asked softly.

“I could feel you,” Harry said softly. He touched his chest. “Right here. Just a little bit, like I could feel how worried you were about talking to my mum. And then when she asked if you were okay with bonding with me, it turned to something much happier.”

Louis looked at Harry, his eyebrows raised. “I thought I could feel something that wasn’t really me as well. Right in my chest, like you said.” A smile began to spread across his face. “Is that another bondmates thing?”

Harry shook his head before saying, “I don’t know, but I’d imagine it is.”

Louis set Amelia’s bottle down and repositioned her to help her burp. “Well. Whatever it is, I think I can get used to that.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis got out of class and headed towards the car park. He loved days when Harry wasn’t working and he was able to take the car. The university was located in such a way that the bus routes and underground gave no direct route. He didn’t mind the multiple transfers it required to get to and from class most days, but on the few he could have the car, he relished it.

_I got out early, love. I’m heading home already._

A rush of joy filled Louis’ chest, and he knew Harry had got the message.

_Great, love. We’ll see you soon. Amelia is very excited about her letters today. They worked on J at school. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it._

Louis smiled and laughed. Amelia was a talker. She needed attention at all times, and one of the ways she demanded it was by never ceasing to speak. Both Harry and Louis had been happy when she’d started nursery and now that she was in primary school and beginning to really show interest in what they learned, that was all she’d talk about for at least an hour after arriving home.

_I’m sure she will. Love you._

Louis tossed his rucksack into the back seat and pulled out the letter of recommendation his professor had handed him at the end of class. He was nearly done with the one-year course and therefore ready to start applying for positions. One in particular that Louis was hoping to get was at a small college located only ten minutes from their flat. It was a quiet school that focused on performing arts, and from the moment Louis had walked past it two years ago he’d known he wanted to apply there.

It was thanks to that small school that he’d finally taken Harry seriously on applying to university. Louis had been more than happy to focus on raising Amelia to be the best omega with the most confidence he could instill in her, but once she’d entered nursery Louis had got back into daycare. Finding his experiences were no better than what he’d had years before, it hadn’t taken much, but that school on that day had been the final push to do it.

Now here he was, almost ready to get his certificate. This letter of recommendation was the last item he needed before submitting his application, and he was ready. Scared out of his mind, but also excited for what was to come.

A calm feeling of confidence coursed through him, and Louis knew Harry was doing his best to tell him he would get it. Ever since they realised they could feel each other’s strong emotions at Anne’s all those years ago, Louis and Harry had worked on strengthening their bond so they could communicate via thoughts and feelings across greater distances. Louis loved it. He felt he was never truly alone and Harry was always able to help calm him when he needed that.

Louis took a deep breath and sighed before pulling out of his parking space. It was time to go home and bask in his mate and daughter’s affections before seeing what he could do about his future.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you again for reading! Kudos and (nice) comments are my life blood, so please leave them if you enjoyed the fic. Please reblog the [fic post](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/171797066093/i-will-care-for-you-by-lululawrence-afton-i-just) as well, should you feel so inclined! Thanks!!
> 
> Interested in helping support charities with fanfic? If you are, I could write a fic for you! Check out the info [here on Tumblr](https://1dfanworksforcharity.tumblr.com/post/174494969280/1d-fanworks-for-charity-auctions-for-lululawrence).


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